Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-05-18
A KILLING AT K1owA.
Marshal Nike 0'Shee Fatally Shoots George
Keenan,.

Keenan,.
Last Thursday afternoon, May 18th,
at Kiowa, City Marshal Mike O'Shee
shot George keenan,, who was resist
ing arrest, the ball taking effect in the
left breast of keenan, and producing
death the following day.
The circumstances attending the af-
fair as related to us by a member of
the coroner's jury are these; George
keenan,, single man, 30 years old,
was night Waterman at the Southern
Kansas depot at Kiowa. The day of
the shooting, he had gone to restaur-
ant west of the depot kept by a widow
and made indecent proposals to her,
and being repulsed, he attempted to
carry his design by force, and in the eff
fort, tore her clothes considerably. She
sent tor the marshal, aud he went to
the scene, and was instructed TO arrest
keenan,. O'Shee at first objected to
making the arrest, but the woman in
forming him she would send for Depu-
~ 6AhO IL hOf " OuCC ulQ HUI L11hC Lilo
arrest, the marshal said he would do it.
He went to keenan, who at once resist
ed and the marshal knocked him down
with revolver, and called a dray to
haul the prisoner to the calabocse.
Keenan, expressed his ability to get on
the dray without assistance, and did
climb up OH the vehicle, and as O'Shee
was following him, keenan, pulled out
one of the dray stakes and struck at
the officer. O'Shee jumped to the
ground and fred shot to intimidate
Keenan,, not aiming to hit him, he says.
keenan, left the dray and with uplifted
stake advanced on O'Shee who warned
him to desist, but the now crazed man
dared the marshal to shoot, declaring
he was not afraid. O'Shee did shoot,
aiming as he says, to cripple Keenan's
left arm, for he held the stake In his
left hand. The ball struck the left
breast instead, and from this wound
Keenan, died twenty-four hours later.
OShee gave himself up and was ad-
mitted to bail. A coroner's inquest
was held last Saturday and the jury re-
turned verdict that keenan, died from
the effect of gun shot wound inflicted
by Marshal O'Shee, but it did not say
whether or not the affair was justifia-
BILE.
County Attorney Jones, who was
present had the marshal put under ar
rest, and his preliminary examination
was set for Monday before Justice
Crewdson, of Kiowa. That officer re-
quested that Justice d. A. McCandless,
OF Medicine Lodge sit with him in the
preliminary examination, and accord
ingly Justice McCandless went to Kio-
wa, Monday, and the case was called.
The result of the preliminary exam
ination yesterday, was the binding of
Mr.. O'Shee over to await the action of
the district court, his bond being fixed
at $500. This bond he gave.
Our informant says there was no evil
dence given to show that keenan, was
drunk or that he had been drink
ing the day of the shooting, and he is
of the opinion that he was duly sober.
He also says that there is no truth in
the report that keenan, and O'Shee
were enemies on account of city cleo
ton matters. This report was circula-
ted here soon after the shooting.
Keenan,, was an. active member of the
order of Knights of Labor, and it is
said that organization will aid in the
prosecution. 1t is also said that the
Santa Fe railroad officials have express
ed determination to prosecute O'Shee
to the fullest extent of the law. If
these rumors are true, this promises to
be hard fought case. In the discharge
of his duties, O'Shee has made many
enemies as any official must who has a
hard class to deal with, and opinion is
about equally divided as to whether he
was or was not too hasty in shooting
On the other hand, O'Shee has strong
backing at KiOwa, and he will not be
without friends to assist him in his
trial, even il he should be bound over
to await the action of the district court
His attorneys in the preliminary exam
ination are Robinson & Hopkins, of
Kiowa. The prosecution is conducted
by County Attorney Jones, of this city,
Mexican &Wiley, of Klowa and an at
tOrney named Mcintyre, supposed to
have been employed by the friends of
keenan,.